Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014's One Little Word, and 2015's Choice



Here's the thing about me: I'm not a fan of trends and doing stuff just because everyone else does. Case in point? Choosing one little word to focus on for the upcoming year.

I've done it before - for a few years in a row. Carrie has encouraged it, questioned it, even made suggestions for words she thought would fit. And last year I did choose a word, but I quickly eased it to the outer corners of my heart and mind and figured I could pretty much ignore it for the remainder of the year.

The word I chose was "trust" and I had a little plan that I would keep it alive by using my "Just a Quote for Friday" series as a way to pull it back into focus - at least once a month. Yeah. That happened in January and February. The end.

I didn't make an obvious sign to post somewhere to remind me of my word. TRUST. Hmph. I can remember that. Why make a big production of it? Everybody else was doing it, but I shied away from the hype.

Oh, but something happened. Over the course of 2014 I made a conscious decision to let go of attachments to outcome. I mustered up a deep sense of trust - knowing that outcomes would materialize for me in the best of ways, and all that was really required of me was to do my best and trust the process. Trust that things would work out the way they are supposed to. Trust that if things didn't work out the way I wanted them to, I would still be able to deal with the outcomes. I'm resilient and capable that way.

So without posting notes to myself reminding me about my one little word in 2014, I accidentally kept it alive simply by choosing it in the first place. I love what the word "trust" did for me last year. There are some exciting things planned for 2015 and I'd love to repeat 2014's word all over again this year, but that would be redundant. I'm practiced in the art of TRUST now, and that will continue to be with me as we move through the upcoming new year.

Based on the results of my borderline rebellious word choosing last year, I've gone ahead and chosen one for the upcoming year as well: permission. I give myself permission to choose a word and not make a big deal about it. {wink} I give myself permission to move forward on some things that have been dreams for so long.

I give myself permission, in 2015.
How about you? One little word for the new year?

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Receiving cards without returning the favor

We received our first Christmas card before the end of November - a blessing in an envelope from one of my mom's very best friends. She included a thoughtful note saying how much she missed my mom and a reminder of how much my mom loved her family. "I love Jean," I thought to myself, "Must remember to include her when I mail our Christmas cards this year..."



When I began my studies for yoga teacher training (YTT) in August I knew that December was going to be different this year. I knew that there were parts of my normal "it's-Christmas-time-and-these-are-the-things-I-do-every-year" that would have to be gently laid aside. But I figured that the sending of Christmas cards was not one of them.

I purchased two boxes of beautiful cards - one to send to friends and family, and the other to hand out to my yoga friends and teachers at YTT graduation. And I purchased Christmas postage stamps. Two sheets of Rudolph-the-red-nose-reindeer stamps {cute!}, and a full sheet of beautiful wreath stamps for my International friends {pretty!}.

December ensued. We made a road trip to California on the first weekend - a whirlwind trip that would result in me catching an annoying head cold upon our return. A terribly inconvenient time to be sick, but life goes on and Christmas stands still for no one.

Christmas cards from people we love kept flowing in, and the stack on the corner of our kitchen counter continued to grow. You know that place? The mail-gathering-place of things to take care of once you have time? I vowed to tape them to the wall around our cardboard reindeer like I've done in years past. I vowed, and the stack grew.

On December 26th I dismantled our tree and started packing up Christmas decorations. I LOVE the decs before Christmas, but when Christmas is over, I'm done. This year in particular, I wanted Christmas to slip away quietly, and for life to resume as something familiar and normal around here.

We received two more Christmas cards in the mail that day and they were added to the stack. I continued to wrap precious ornaments in tissue paper and packed things up for Doug to put in storage.

Remember, I had told myself that this Christmas was going to be different from December's past and I was right. As boxes of Christmas drifted out the door and found their way into the back of Doug's truck, I was still clinging to a precious chunk of Christmas, not ready to let go just yet. The stack of Christmas cards...





And in an act of something that looked totally unlike anything Deb would ever do, I hung some string and clipped each and every Christmas card to it - on the day after Christmas. I spent a little time with each card, re-reading the sentiments, cherishing the photos, and thinking about the sweet connection we have with each and every person who took the time to send us a card this year.


Later that day, Carrie joined us for dinner. I loved seeing her and Doug standing in front of the string of cards, reading each one and honoring the senders. In some ways it felt even more special to focus on the cards after Christmas had passed - after the hustle and bustle, crazy-schedule head-cold-daze and YTT graduation festivities.

Now, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel guilty for not sending Christmas cards out this year. It would be wrong for me to try to convince you that I didn't feel a little pang of angst every time I saw those two boxes of unopened Christmas cards with my cute and pretty Christmas stamps waiting to be affixed. I feel a little sad that time was not on my side this December, that writing notes of love and "I think of you often" didn't happen this year. But as I pull myself from past to the present moment, and as I stand in front of our after-Christmas-card-display, I feel blessed beyond measure by those people in our lives who took the time to write notes, address envelopes, and use cute/pretty Christmas postage stamps (!!!).

In my mind I sent every one of you a Christmas card with a note of love and gratitude thoughtfully written inside. I realize that's not the same as having a physical card to add to the stack of mail on your kitchen counter, but the thought was most definitely there.

The strands of cards are going to stay on our kitchen wall for a few weeks - until it's close enough to Valentine's Day for me to hang my heart banner. Maybe I've just created an accidental tradition for Christmas card display. And I have two boxes of cards and 11.5 months to write Christmas cards for December 2015...

Monday, December 29, 2014

The joy of mandalas (a tutorial)

There's a beautiful mandala painted on one of the walls at the yoga studio where I practice. The design captivated my attention and drew me in the first time I saw it! In fact, I liked it so much that I started looking around for information on mandalas and specifically, tips on how to draw my own.


Part of my yoga teacher training graduation package included sharing an example of how I practice yoga off the mat. My original idea for that assignment was to compile my yoga blog posts into a booklet...but then I drew my first mandala. There's nothing like the meditative zone I find while being creative - it really is equivalent to yoga off the mat for me.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 1.2 ~ Yogas citta vrtti nirodhah ~ Yoga is the ability to direct the mind exclusively toward an object and sustain that direction without any distractions.


I decided to teach my fellow classmates how to draw a mandala for my final graduation project. We moved from the main classroom over to the one with the mandala on the wall for my presentation, and I loved the way my classmates honored me by participating so intently.

 Today I'm sharing a brief tutorial on how to draw your own mandala.

Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means circle. In a nutshell, mandalas have been used for centuries as sacred symbols in many cultures. They are commonly used as meditation/prayer tools by either gazing at a mandala that someone else has drawn, or by creating your own.

My rendition of how to draw a mandala and suggestions for how you can use it are my thoughts and observations after sifting through a whole bunch of mandala information. It's optional, but highly recommended, to think of an intention to hold while you create your mandala. Think of something you want in your life - peace, patience, a new job - and imagine how that would feel if you already had that going on for you.

Grab yourself a circle shape. I used a circle punch, but you could easily use a bowl or jar to trace a circle and cut it out. I folded the circle template in half in a few different directions to provide some grid lines to use as a template. You could also use a protractor, compass, you know - fancy tools...



To begin drawing, I trace the circle on my paper and put a little dot at each of the fold lines to mark my sections all the way around.

Once I have a few grid lines and dots on my paper, I start filling in the blanks. I like to draw lines across the inside of the circle, connecting the dots and crisscrossing - just letting the lines fall into place wherever it feels right.


And then scallops or flower petals around the outside edge...















Fill in or color the same shape all the way around the circle. Just start playing around with pencil lines and shapes, resist the urge to think too much about the process. Let the lines and shapes happen organically...






Continue to remind yourself of your intention as you begin to fill in the blank spaces, turning the paper as you go and continuing the pattern all the way around. You'll find yourself drifting into a flow, drawing lines and coloring in spaces. Therein lies the meditation aspect of drawing a mandala - you become lost within its design and effortlessly drift into harmony and relaxation.


Time was limited as I led my classmates in the mandala session, so I created a simple template as a starting point for drawing. You are welcome to download/print it by clicking here.
PS: The lotus flower watercolor art is mine too. I had PaperTurtle cards printed from Moo.com for my yoga teacher classmates so they could visit here and read my yoga posts if they choose. Hi yoga friends!!! xo

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas, from PaperTurtle's tree

Just popping in this morning with a few photos, and a wish to all for a very Merry Christmas.

memories of travel

Santa ornament from my mother-in-law, PJ.

Angels I've made, and the orange cat was for our sweet Fancy Jane.
hand-mades from years gone by, and a turtle here and there...

An ornament from a dear friend {Thanks, Judi!}

An ornament from a blog friend in memory of my mom (the glass ball containing an M and teal). {Thanks, Abi!}




Merry Christmas, everyone!
♥ ♥ ♥

Monday, December 22, 2014

Graduation Weekend Recap

Happy Monday morning, blog friends.
This weekend marked the end of my 200-hour yoga teacher training. My heart and mind are overflowing with love and emotion and gratitude - all so simple and yet deeply complex at the same time. It seems impossible to write a brief blog post that sums up this journey, so I'm going to share a few photos and then head out to take on the upcoming week.


Inner Vision Yoga. If you are a local reader, I highly recommend that you go there for yoga! I can't say enough nice things about their teachers, classes, and studio. Love, love, LOVE them! And if you ever have a desire to become a certified yoga teacher? Oh my gosh, their 200-hour program is absolutely life changing.

My experience with this yoga teacher training was so very personal, and yet I shared that experience with 22 other people. Seems a little strange to say that, but it's true. We spent every Thursday and Friday evening together for the past four months. Throw in a few Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and other practice times outside of class, all while being drawn out of our comfort zones, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and being met with love and support - kindred spirits were revealed. I deeply love and care about every one of these people. Get ready, yoga world, here we come!

As for my weekend recap, it was all about officially becoming a yoga teacher. I finished up my classes - attending Thursday and Friday evenings, and then over six hours on Saturday. On Saturday we presented our personal projects and our own stories of yoga. There were tears of joy and compassion flowing all day long! I don't think I've cried that much in years!

After class on Saturday I had every intention of heading over to our friend's Christmas party where Doug was hanging out, but I was absolutely drained (in an exhausted and delicious way). I came home and sat on the couch in silence with the Christmas tree lights illuminating the room and pulled myself together. After about 30 minutes I had a wave of realization - it's Christmas time!!! I've been going through the motions of gift buying and tree decorating but have been so distracted with my yoga path that Christmas has been looming in the background. It felt so wonderful to make the transition from yoga school to yoga Christmas. :o)


 
So then, yesterday, I hosted a party. Carrie brought her crock pot over for me to borrow, and while she was here I talked her into doing some chalkboard art. She's such a good daughter to help me out - she hates the feel of chalk so this is a big deal. {YTT = yoga teacher training.}

It's such a busy time of year, and not everyone was able to make it, but we had a nice handful of yoga friends stop by for a while. I loved being able to talk about our journey, our promises to keep in touch, and our hopes and plans for the future.

crock pot hot chocolate bar - yum!


And now all sights are set on Christmas! There are a few more gifts to be wrapped, and nothing in particular that needs to be done in the next couple of days. ~sigh~ I have the next two weeks off work, a book I want to read, a quilt top I want to sew, a garden to revamp and a pass for unlimited yoga classes through the end of January. And Doug knows I need a mountain so there will be a little road trip somewhere in the mix.

I don't plan to be on my computer a whole lot over the next week or so, so I want to wish each and every one of you so many blessings for this holiday season. I appreciate that you visit here and read my words, and I am so grateful for your love and support along the way.

Wishing you all kinds of joy and jolly,
~ Deb
xoxox

Friday, December 19, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday

 
"Slow down, you move too fast.
You've got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobblestones.
Looking for fun and feeling groovy."
 
 
"...let the morning time drop all its petals on me. Life I love you. All is groovy."

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Tree in the house. And a dog.

Hey there friends! Happy 8-days-till-Christmas!!!
You know my friend, Flower Jane? The one who has hosted Flowers in the House? Well, this month she's mixing it up and making it easy on us busy ones by calling for photos of Christmas Trees in the House.

And bonus points {or extra brandy in our eggnog...} if the photo includes a pet. I figured this would be an easy task since the cat is always near the tree, but he was not agreeable for photo posing. Lucky the dog, on the other hand? He's a sucker for a tree treat.
Linking up with Flower Jane {Small but Charming} for "Christmas in da House"

Monday, December 15, 2014

A weekend full of Christmas

It's Monday morning, Christmas is nine days away, and my head is spinning.
I keep reminding myself that this is not a stressful time. It's a deliciously busy time of year and as long as I just keep plugging along everything that I want to accomplish will be done. Oh my gosh, it was a busy weekend around these parts!

Friday night's yoga teacher training was awesome. We were divided into four groups and each group taught a 40-minute sequence. It was so cool to witness the transformation of all of us. Classmates who, in the beginning, were unsure and timid about teaching yoga, there in front of our peers leading the class like seasoned yoga teachers. I felt so proud of all of us!!! My segment was an 8-minute piece that I had practiced over and over in my head for the past couple of weeks. I was a little nervous, but surprisingly at ease when the time came to teach. I did well and was so happy to have that behind me.

As part of my graduation package, I need to teach four one-hour classes of my own, so Saturday morning a group of four friends came to my house to help me out. I loved having my friends here - it was so sweet of them to take time out of their busy schedules to help me out and to be subjected to my early-teaching-follies. I learned so much! For one thing, I need to talk way less - know that some silence is good. I felt good about the physical adjustments I was able to make for my students, and they were all very gracious with their comments on the class survey afterwards. I have the best friends on the planet. For real.

Carrie's plans for Saturday afternoon fell through, and I was so happy that she was able to come with us to pick out a Christmas tree.

What a beautiful day for Christmas tree shopping!

I have been so busy and I'll admit to not feeling very jolly about Christmas this year. Yet. But getting our tree, the smell of pine, the ensuing routine of chasing the cat away from the tree, and the sight of these ornaments sent me soaring into Christmas. I am officially jingly all over! :o)


On Sunday, I baked. Pumpkin bread, dark chocolate coconut macaroons, chocolate chip cookies, and lemon blueberry muffins. And in between baking on Sunday I worked on decorating the tree...

...while Doug strung Christmas lights outside. I asked for an extra strand across the patio this year and my sweet personal Santa accommodated my request. It's true, I've been a very good girl this year.

Pretty, huh?

The sun setting outside, the lights, the tree, sweets from the oven...yummy, yummy Christmas time.




This morning: sugar hangover
Tonight: packing boxes to be mailed tomorrow
Tomorrow day: post office
Tomorrow night: preparing for Wednesday night's dinner
Wednesday night: my brother will be in town! :o) He's coming over for dinner
Thursday night: yoga teacher training
Friday day: work Christmas party
Friday night: yoga teacher training
Saturday day: final day of yoga teacher training / graduation :o)!!!
Sunday day: graduation party for yoga teacher training group at our house
Monday: rest, the beginning of two weeks off work, and Christmas to enjoy.

Be jolly. Be merry. Be mindful. And breathe.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday

"The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself."
~ Henry Miller

Thursday, December 11, 2014

A quilt for baby Carter

Today I'm sharing a few photos of the quilt I made recently for my nephew and his wife. They're expecting a baby boy after the first of the year - my first official great-nephew (I'm already a great-aunt on Doug's side of the family) and also my mom's first great-grandchild. Oh my gosh, she would be beyond excited for the birth of this little one!!!

Don't you just love these colors? The baby's room is painted gray and is decorated with animals in this color scheme. I was so excited when I found this fabric!

I used a strip of washi tape as a marker so I could sew a straight line from corner to corner.






I can't wait to hold that little man next year, hopefully with this blanket wrapped snuggly around him.
 

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

A weekend recap on Tuesday

Good morning, blog friends!
Oh what a wonderful, whirlwind weekend we had!
Three days packed with driving and celebrating with family.
 
My sister surprised her hubby (our brother-in-law Brad) with a 50th birthday party, and Doug and I wavered back and forth a bit on whether or not to make the trip. Even though we are a bit worn out this morning, we are both so happy that we did it. This morning I have some random photos from the weekend to share with you, then I'm off to tackle a busy week ahead. Yay!
 
My sister chose "The Godfather" theme for Brad's party and all of the details were so much fun. I was assigned as the photo girl for the night, but in our rush to leave our hotel and get to the party, I left my camera lens and external flash behind. Nice. So we ended up with a bunch of grainy photos from my phone. ~sigh~
 

Fantastic party, the guest of honor was super surprised, and a great time was had by all! :o) Sunday morning we met at my sister's house for a big breakfast and a day of relaxing with family. I loved spending time with my nieces and nephews, and even got to give this little peach her first Christmas present.
 
Sweet baby Olivia. She's growing so fast! She let out a sad little cry when the paper was torn back to reveal a little dolly underneath. The baby in the box scared her just a little. Aw!
 
If you had told me two years ago that either my sister or I would be dog owners I would have laughed. And if you had told me how much we would love our pups, I probably would have said you were crazy. But it's true! We have Lucky, and my sister has Walker: 
 


Have I mentioned before how much I love being an aunt? This photo of Presley, Stone, and me makes my heart want to explode. Gosh I love these kiddos!
 
And now it's game on. The rest of this week is jam-packed with places to go, people to see, yoga to practice and teach(!!!), and Christmas to prepare for.
 
Taking deep breaths and trusting that everything will fall right into place...
Enjoy the rest of your week, my friends!

Friday, December 5, 2014

Just a Quote for Friday

"The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world."
~ Ann Voskamp

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Lemon Sugar Cookies for Grandma

My grandma has a sweet tooth and loves all things lemon.
Oh my gosh she makes the best lemon tea bread on the planet!
Every year I try a new lemon recipe and include it with her package that I mail a week or so before Christmas. This year's recipe of choice is a lemon sugar cookie that turned out to be a real treat. This is definitely going in my book of recipes to repeat. It was easy and the cookies are SO yummy!

Since I have to mail these cookies I wanted to test them for texture and freeze-ability. The good news is they froze really well, and even after several days the cookies are still nice and soft. I'll pull the cookies out of the freezer just before I box them up, and by the time they arrive on Grandma's doorstep a few days later, she'll be able to enjoy some with her afternoon tea.



I actually followed the recipe without changing anything up this time, so I'll just share a link to the original and save myself the typing. :o) You can find this recipe by clicking here.
 
Grandma is going to love these!

Monday, December 1, 2014

Hello, December

Things to do today:
inhale. exhale. repeat.
Good morning, blog friends. And happy December to you all. I think that December is a month that will test me in terms of taking one day at a time and trusting that the outcome will be nothing less than perfect. I realized this morning that I have several "to do" lists floating around. Time to consolidate them, prioritize, and see what I can strike from the list.

And man, I miss blogging! My yoga studies feel like such a gift from Heaven, but they are taking a whole lot of my extra time. I'm not complaining, not one little bit, just sayin'...

{yesterday's photo...time is ticking...}
I've had the past four days off for the Thanksgiving holiday and naturally, I was busy. Doug was away on a camping trip with his brother, and I was left to my own devices: an oven and my yoga mat. An unlikely combination, for sure, but that's how my long weekend went.
 
I was determined to make my mom's bread recipe on Thanksgiving day even though I was home alone for the afternoon. I decided before hand that I would not be sad - that I would dwell in a place of love and gratitude for the gifts my mom gave to me. Ah - I really do have so much to be thankful for! I'm happy to report that I was successful. And, even though I've practiced this bread recipe a few times now, this was the best these rolls have ever turned out. :o)
 

My mom's recipe says to knead the dough for 5-10 minutes. That second half of the kneading time has always been a mystery to me. I've tended to knead for the entire 10 minutes only to have my dough turn out really dense and heavy. But this time I felt it! About 8 minutes into the process the dough felt different to me and I knew it was time to stop. Ha - I guess you could say I finally became one with the dough. And maybe my mom was looking over my shoulder yelling STOP KNEADING NOW! Whatever. The rolls were delicious and I have a bunch in our freezer to have with soups and stews in the upcoming months.

I baked other stuff too. I tried a new recipe for lemon sugar cookies that I'll share later in the month. My grandma loves lemon treats so I baked all the dough and the cookies are in the freezer, ready to be mailed in her Christmas package in a couple of weeks. {Carrie said these are the best cookies she'd ever tasted. Yay!} I also baked a batch of pumpkin bread - frozen and ready for packages. And on Saturday, desperate for something healthy to put into my body, I made a big pot of chicken soup. I may have gone heavy on one particular vegetable because Carrie referred to it as zucchini soup.


In other news, Christmas started appearing around our house. We aren't getting our tree for another couple of weeks, but I did a little decorating around here. I'm always happy to see that my holiday wine glass survived another year's packing. I put it to good use over the long weekend. ;o)

The majority of my Christmas shopping is done and wrapped (don't hate). I knew that this month was going to be hectic with my yoga teacher training coming to a close, so I've planned ahead. I spent a little time this weekend labeling some gifts with tags and monograms cut with my Cricut - and a favorite snowflake punch.

So, yeah, December is here in full swing. A couple of neighbors on our street have Christmas lights on their houses, prompting an increased level of coaxing from me to Doug about getting ours up. {He loves when I remind him about stuff...}


Coming up: a road trip to see my family this weekend (eep!!! :o)!!!). An assignment to teach my favorite standing yoga pose, and also my least favorite/most challenging pose. An assignment to lead an 8-minute series on "grounding." A one hour level one class to design and teach to four of my local friends on December 13th. A full work week on the horizon, followed by two short ones and then two glorious weeks off work! :o)

Christmas cards to write...a trip to pack for...

Things to do today:
inhale. exhale. repeat.
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